Joining the Academy

Sami

Future Air Force
5-Year Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2014
Messages
14
I have recently started looking into joining the Air Force Academy to get an early start on my future military career. Does anybody have tips or advice on what I need to accomplish and\or prepare?
 
Read this site extensively. There are great stickies at the top of every board that are well worth your time. Read usafa.edu extensively as they list step by step what you need to do to apply.

Then prepare to work very hard in all areas. Schoolwork, athletics, leadership, community service.

Good luck!
 
Thank you navymomwannabe for your advice, I am currently searching through the forums and also accepting advice from other military soldiers.
 
Sami, truly, no one here can really help you without ANY information. You sound VERY young -

Read through ALL of the stickies here, and read through some of the members' comments... If you feel truly ready for advice from strangers, let us know.
 
I am 15 years old. I have been grown and raised in a military family. I want to be a soldier and I want to join the academy. I would do almost anything to join and I am currently looking for ways to better prepare myself for the Air Force Academy. I am asking for advice. Thank you.
 
Get Great Grades. Try to get into leadership roles (team captain, student government, JROTC, etc.) , rack up community service/volunteer hours.
 
Get Great Grades. Try to get into leadership roles (team captain, student government, JROTC, etc.) , rack up community service/volunteer hours.

And don't do anything to get yourself in trouble. No drinking or drugs. Easiest thing to do is follow your conscience and do what you know is right. Too many times we've seen "stupid mistakes" that could easily have been prevented with a little forethought. (Not to say that you would do anything like that!)
 
Yes. I am an AMERICAN citizen. I am interested in joining the Air Force Academy along with the Air Force as an AMERICAN soldier.
 
Thank you USAFA83GradWife for your advice. I appreciate any I can get. It seems like even the little things can help you through the toughest times.
 
First off:

1) Sami, the Air Force doesn't call them soldiers, they are AIRMEN.

2) If you are a military child, the best people to speak to are your parents. they understand moves, promotions, EVERYTHING, about life in the military.
Unlike my children who had no military background, I presume you live on or very near a military base... go THERE for immediate information.

3) How much research have you really done regarding USAFA? According to USNWR magazine and others, USAFA is considered akin to an Ivy League college... what do you need to do? You need to be competitive enough to make it to an Ivy League School, plus you have to be uber fit, and have leadership experience. ~~ SEE STICKIES. READ A.L.L. OF THEM.

4) As regards JOINING the Air Force Academy, one does not join. It is not a club. You are appointed after being nominated~~ see stickies above.

5) SCORE in the top 10% on all tests, SAT, ACT.... be the best of the best of athletes in your school ... be in the top 10% of your class.

6) QUIT ACTING OFFENDED WHEN YOU ASK FOR ADVICE AND THEN GET IT.
 
You do not "join" military academies, you go down fighting with everything you have in hopes of an appointment. For an idea-- 13,000 apply and 1,300 are given appointments. ACT's run in the 30's across the board to even be considered competitive, varsity sports are basically required, community involvement, you name it. You have to be nominated by a congressman or senate to even APPLY to the academies. I think you should do some basic research on your own before you start asking about more specific details. Military academies are a whole different ball game in comparison to straight enlisting.
 
ACT's run in the 30's across the board to even be considered competitive, QUOTE]

American College Testing Program Scores (ACT)
Excludes USAFA Prep graduates

Mid 50% Range

English
27-33
Math
28-33
Reading
28-33
Science Reasoning
27-32
 
Sami,

You have been given great advice by posters.

The fact is you can JOIN AFROTC, but you don't JOIN the AFA. A different process.
~ It is a marathon roller coaster ride your senior yr in hs. One day up because you got the nom from you Congressional MOC. Next day down because the appointment list on the site shows that someone here is appointed from your district.

You are a military brat. Your parents should understand the competitive nature for promotions within the military. The AFA is no different. @16% will win an appointment.
~ Sorry, but fencer has it right. Want to know what you need to "join" aka be appointed, be competitive enough to get admitted into a Tier 1 college....think Notre Dame, MIT, Princeton, etc.
~~ Now add in athletics and leadership. Ivies don't place any % on physical tests for admittance, but the SAs do. It is called the CFA.

Take and take and take both the SAT and ACT until you can't take them anymore.
~ AFA superscores....my pet peeve is superscoring. No sour grapes, DS had a 34 ACT and a 1490.
~~ OBTW AFROTC scholarship does not, it is best sitting.

There is so much that goes into this equation, one of the biggest is going to be questions you have yet to answer for us to give you advice regarding "joining".
~ CGPA?
~ SAT/PSAT?
~AP/IB?
~ Class rank?
~ School profile?

FWIW, fencer is a nicer person than I will ever be, and I look to her as someone to aspire to, even at my age. Her posts were kinder than I would have done.

AIM HIGH...ABOVE ALL
 
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First off:

1) Sami, the Air Force doesn't call them soldiers, they are AIRMEN.

2) If you are a military child, the best people to speak to are your parents. they understand moves, promotions, EVERYTHING, about life in the military.
Unlike my children who had no military background, I presume you live on or very near a military base... go THERE for immediate information.

3) How much research have you really done regarding USAFA? According to USNWR magazine and others, USAFA is considered akin to an Ivy League college... what do you need to do? You need to be competitive enough to make it to an Ivy League School, plus you have to be uber fit, and have leadership experience. ~~ SEE STICKIES. READ A.L.L. OF THEM.

4) As regards JOINING the Air Force Academy, one does not join. It is not a club. You are appointed after being nominated~~ see stickies above.

5) SCORE in the top 10% on all tests, SAT, ACT.... be the best of the best of athletes in your school ... be in the top 10% of your class.

6) QUIT ACTING OFFENDED WHEN YOU ASK FOR ADVICE AND THEN GET IT.


It is very hard to accept advice from a person telling me that I sound very young. I appreciate being a young woman, not VERY young. I am currently trying to get information on how to take early steps toward the Academy. Yes, I realize you cannot "join" the Academy. I am taking all possible steps now so I may be nominated and selected. Thanks for telling me the difference between a soldier and an airman because I never would have figured that out. I have been raised in an Army family. I believe a soldier is a soldier and I will learn the difference by an instructor or drill sergeant. My mom is a captain in the Army so if I was really that far behind and young, she would help me understand...But, Im not and I will continue my outlook in getting advice to get "NOMINATED."
 
Thank you all for your great advice. I am a girl... but thank you for watching my back.
 
Sami, at 15, you are young! Very young! It's not an insult - it's an observation! Not "accusing" you of anything - it's just that you are not a rising senior or even junior.

Take a long hard look at the info in the stickies; go to the library and take out books about USAFA or USMA or USNA. Read all you can, talk to your mother.

We can't really advise you about anything without more information. If you don't like what you hear here, go ahead and look elsewhere. Most of us try to be relatively nice, but sugarcoating is not what we're about.

Best of luck...
 
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